D1: Venango Co. Fair
James Stoops Jr. (Venango County Leader), Kathy Stoops (District 1 Treasurer), and John W. Chase (District 1 Director) working the booth at the Venango county fair to educate the public about trapping and promote the up coming District 1 Trapping School.
2019 PTA Rendezvous
2019 PTA Rendezvous
June 27-29, 2019
Hosted by District #3
Washington Co. Fairgrounds
Washington, PA
Cable Restraint Class Registration link:
https://register-ed.com/events/view/144072
Schedule, Vendors, & Demos:
Convention Info 2019
Special Benefit Auction
The PTA will be holding a silent auction at the 2019 Rendezvous in Washington County to benefit Alyssa Leakway. Alyssa is a lifetime member of the PTA and is having health problems and could use some help. All proceeds from the silent auction will be donated to the Leakway family to help with Alyssa’s medical bills. Items for the auction are needed, if you have something in mind, bring it to the Rendezvous to help our cause.
The following is from Alyssa’s parents, Jason and Holly Leakway:
On Nov 6 at 2:45pm out lives changed forever. Alyssa had an AVM, (arteriovenous malformation), which is a malformed cluster of blood vessels in the brain. It’s a congenital defect, which many people can have, but often nothing happens. This time, a little extra pressure caused these vessels to burst, resulting in stroke like symptoms. Alyssa has no movement on her left side.
This happened when she was at school. She was then taken by ambulance to York hospital to be stabilized and then life flighted to Penn State Hershey hospital. They had to do an emergency surgery that night and removed a portion of her skull to relieve pressure on her brain. Alyssa was on a ventilator and sedated for nine days. After removing her breathing tube she started neurostorming. Symptoms of neurostorming can include alterations in level of consciousness, increased posturing, dystonia, hypertension, hyperthermia, tachycardia, tachypnea, diaphoresis, and agitation(all common side affects of a traumatic brain injury). She was in the ICU for 20 days. Alyssa was then transported to a rehab center to start therapy to regain movement and everyday functions. She had a few complications and as a precaution, was moved back to the hospital for a few tests and observation. All of her tests and scans showed nothing had changed and she is showing small signs of improvement.
At this time she was still not fully awake and alert. Once back in rehab we started to see small improvements, Alyssa started to stay awake for longer periods of time and started to become aware of her surroundings. At this time, almost four months later, Alyssa is staying awake all day. She still has not spoke any words but dose make noises and is trying to speak. It has been determined that her mobility is what has been affected more then her memory. Alyssa had another CT scan that showed there is no more swelling and just a small amount of fluid build up left on her brain. On April 4th 2019 Alyssa had the bone replaced and was sent home. After being home she became sick and was taken back to the hospital were we found out she had a staph infection and had to have the bone removed again and spent another seven days at Hershey medical center. Alyssa was put on intravenous antibiotics for four weeks, to treat the infection. Alyssa will have to have another surgery to replace the bone sometime in the next two to three months.Alyssa still has a very long road to full recovery, she still has no movement on her left side, and will be in a wheel chair for a very long time and still cannot speak.
Photos: Alyssa holding her PTA Lifetime Member plaque in 2017, and May 2019
PTA Auction Items and Other Photos:
Ned Smith Center Nature and Arts Summer Festival
Mike Spittle of District #11 doing a beaver fur handling demonstration at the Ned Smith Center Nature and Arts Summer Festival. Mike and his wife Donna set up a booth annually at the event and expose folks who love the outdoors to trapping.
Tom Hardisky Bench Dedication
Tom Hardisky Bench dedication by the PA Trappers Association at the PGC Headquarters in Harrisburg
Laurie Hardisky and her grandson Josh with VP East Todd Strohecker , PTA President Charlie Sykes, and PR Director Barry L. Warner and the PGC Board of Commissioners
Second photo: from left to right, Matt Lovallo, Laurie Hardisky and grandson Josh, Todd Strohecker, Charlie Sykes, Ian Gregg and Robert Boyd. Lovallo, Gregg, and Boyd were colleagues of Tom on the PGC Wildlife Management Team.
Third photo: Laurie Hardisky and her grandson Josh with VP East Todd Strohecker, PR Director Barry Warner, and PTA President Charlie Sykes.
A Look Back…
Photo from the 43rd annual PTA convention, 1980 in Honesdale. Ray Beck is the auctioneer also in the photo. The restored tag beam will be on the auction at the convention next year in Washington.
